Review: Sleepy Hollow 2.11 - The Akeda

The Sleepy Hollow midseason finale was certainly an emotional roller coaster; the kind of roller coaster that goes up, down, loops around, goes up- and then stops abruptly. And you’re stuck at the top, wondering why this is happening to you, and the maintenance guy is like, “I’m doing great, aren’t I?” That metaphor got away from me, but hopefully you get the idea. This episode certainly had its twists and turns. There was plenty of action, drama, and that pinch of humor we’ve all come to expect from this delightful show. That said, this episode had quite a few problems. It was hasty, it was incomplete, and more than anything, it was just plain unsatisfying.

This episode was lacking. I get it, they were trying for a great cliffhanger; the thing is, they missed the mark. Nothing is wrapped up, but even more unravelled than ever before. What should have been great moments in this episode felt anticlimactic. This is what happens, kids, when you try to do too much in too short a time. A two-part episode might have allowed the writers to fit in everything, without making it all rushed and cheap. Frank’s death? Cheap. We knew it was coming, but that shouldn’t have diminished the impact. And yet, when he died, I was in disbelief, not because they killed off a wonderful character still full of potential, but because it ended in such a rushed, uneventful, and unemotional way. Not all deaths need to be a spectacle to be dramatic, but dramatic is clearly what the writers were going for, and it didn’t quite get there.

I don’t protest Irving’s death because I was attached to the character; I protest because there was so much to be done with him, and he ended up woefully under-utilized this season. He literally signed his soul off to a Horseman of the Apocalypse, and the writers left him in a psychiatric unit until the very last minute? He better not be gone for good, because there was just so much that could have been done with Frank Irving, and instead he was pushed out of the picture.

This episode had many great moments, but overall was extremely unsatisfying. I don’t need a fall finale to give me all the answers and wrap everything up in a perfect bow, but I do need a little more than the half-story that this episode presented. There was a lot of build in this episode, but it had nowhere to go. Abbie was hurt, it was dramatic, but then she was fine. Ichabod chose this episode to bring up his marital issues with Katrina, they fought for an absurd minute, then it was over. Abraham is their captive, and… that’s it. Abraham nearly died about three times this episode… but didn’t. Surfer Dude was recruited in a dramatic fashion, but then was left to babysit Abraham, and neither are heard from again. There was just too much to be done, and not enough time to do it, leaving too many storylines paused mid-step.

As far as episodes go, this one was pretty good. But as far as midseason finales go, this one needed improvement. So many minor plot points needed to be fleshed out. So many moments that could have been impactful lost meaning because of how rushed and incomplete they were. Some parts needed more build up to have a more meaningful conclusion; others had too much build and were left unresolved. This episode needed a bit more balance.

I’m knocking this pretty hard, I know. It was a good episode, with some solid action sequences and rather cool concepts (Hailing blood? Hell yeah.). And I know- rather I hope- we’ll pick up where we left off, whenever Sleepy Hollow comes back. But overall, I felt this episode didn’t quite deliver. I’m certainly looking forward to what’s next, and I’ll be crossing my fingers in the hopes that Irving isn’t gone for good. But I won’t be obsessing over the ending in the way the writers probably intended.

Here’s what I hope for with the rest of season two: Irving, not gone. John Cho’s character comes back. Henry, not necessarily gone, but can we please stop the debate as to whether he can be saved? At this point, who cares? (Though I guess, with the sword thing, he’s probably gone? Again, though: who cares?) Surfer Dude can stay. Abraham, gone. He’s overstayed his welcome, and his only purpose really is to cause a rift between Katrina and Ichabod, which isn’t even all that interesting, as far as rifts go. Some basic marriage counseling will do the trick. Or some polyamory.

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Score: 3/5

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Sleepy Hollow returns January 5, 2015 on Fox.

Review: Sleepy Hollow 2.09 – Mama

Major trigger warning for suicide in this week’s Sleepy Hollow. The Tarrytown psych patients are committing suicide, and Captain Reyes sends our girl Abbie to investigate. It only gets worse from there. Ichabod is out of commission with a cold, and my only issue with this episode is that he literally slept through almost all of it. So when it’s time to investigate, Abbie brings Jenny, since she’s personally experienced the horrors of Tarrytown.

It’s no coincidence that this investigation brings up so many painful memories of Mama Mills: she’s still haunting the place. At first it seems she’s the one causing the patients to off themselves, but it turns out the “angel of death” is actually another spirit, that of a nurse from the ‘50’s, who originally caused Mama Mills to kill herself. Yikes.

There’s a ghost fight between Mama Mills and the nurse, and Jenny uses an old spell passed down from the Mills ancestors to get rid of the ghost nurse. Surfer Dude is there, but doesn’t actually do much, and Ichabod wakes up just in time for a final chat with Mama Mills.

If you are triggered by suicide or institutionalization, just skip this episode. All you need to know for next week is that the Moloch baby is now a young child. Katrina makes some sort of poison for the baby, but she does so too late: it (he?) can now walk and talk and glare up a storm. What a perfect demon child. Oh, and Frank has escaped Tarrytown. We don’t know how much of a hold Henry currently has on Frank, so whether the escape is his own doing is a mystery.

This episode was heavy. It revealed a lot about Abbie and Jenny’s childhood; we knew the basics, but now we’ve seen pieces of it for ourselves. And it’s damn sad. With the suicides on top of the childhood trauma, this is far heavier than a ‘creature of the week’ episode. There are heart-stopping moments, an emotional family reunion via séance, and plenty of action. It’s an intense episode all around.

Sickly Ichabod was entertaining, but while I did miss his snark, the banter would have felt out of place with such heavy material. Next week is the fall finale, and it’s going down. I expect full banter.

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Score: 4/5

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Watch Sleepy Hollow on Fox, Mondays 9/8c.

Review: Arrow 3.06 - Guilty

This week on Arrow, Laurel’s fighting is improving, her trainer may have murdered someone, and Roy confesses to murdering Sara. Yet another lighthearted episode. Laurel gets a lot of screentime this episode, which was great. She still holds a lot of anger at her sister’s death, but Trainer Ted seems to be doing his job, as she’s more balanced and learning to channel her anger into her training. The writers haven’t forgotten her alcoholism, which is great, because too often such a story arc would be dropped once it’s played out. They continue to acknowledge that Laurel is still an alcoholic, and they do a good job of showing how far she’s come and how much stronger she is. They understand that alcoholism doesn’t go away; someone could be thirty years sober and still be an alcoholic. I really appreciate this acknowledgement from the writers, because I’ve seen these types of storylines dropped once the drama of it is all over. So kudos there.

We get to know Trainer Ted better in this episode as well. Turns out, long before Ollie started his vigilante schtick and while he was still missing, Trainer Ted was Starling City’s own vigilante. Not a news-worthy one, as he stuck to the Glades, likely where he was most needed. He was probably also way less dramatic than Ollie, and so never made the news in quite the same fashion. But we learn of Trainer Ted’s past because someone is murdering gang members and framing him. And it seems that during his vigilante days, Ted beat someone to death. He swears it was a mistake, and he seems distraught enough to be telling the truth, but he isn’t. He didn’t murder anyone, in fact; his partner did, and now his partner blames Ted for the hell he went through, blah blah blah.

Meanwhile, Roy’s a mess, and Ollie notices enough to bench him for the time being. Roy’s still not sleeping, and Ollie refuses to have him doing the vigilante thing when he’s dead on his feet. Good on Oliver; his relationship with Roy is slowly moving past the mentor and sidekick toward friendship and affection. With his concern for Roy and for Laurel in this episode (who still intends to become the Canary), it’s nice to see Oliver’s continued compassion for the circle of friends that has grown beyond just John and Felicity. Roy also gets the Arsenal name in this episode, though it’s rather a throwaway comment.

Unfortunately, Roy’s piecing together the nightmares that keep him from sleeping: the image of him brutally killing Sara. He even confesses to Team Arrow that it was him, but Oliver’s not convinced. In the end, it turns out Roy’s nightmares are just that, and not memories as he’d thought. Roy had been remembering that he murdered a cop while on mirakuru, and combining that memory with Sara’s death, causing nightmares. It’s a relief that he isn’t Sara’s murderer, but he’s extremely upset to remember that he is still a murderer.

The action picks up in this episode, with the gruesome murders and the fight between Bad Guy of the week and Team Arrow. We get to explore Ted’s character a bit, Laurel’s character develops more, and Roy brings the drama. We also go back to the Ollie flashbacks, and though personally I don’t find those as interesting, they do serve to explain Oliver’s character in the present.

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Score: 4/5

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Review: Peter Leto

Watch Arrow on the CW, Wednesdays 8/7c.

Review: Sleepy Hollow S2.E8 – Heartless

Sleepy Hollow’s creature of the week is a succubus, preying on those who harbor secret desires, and taking their very life force. It gets a little complicated once she targets someone they know. Meanwhile Katrina’s having visions of the demon baby she almost gave birth to. The succubus is specifically called an incordata, meaning its heart has been separated from its body. To kill it, they first have to find the heart and kill it. The succubus kills two randoms before turning its gaze toward Surfer Dude, who’s… still here. He’s still hanging around and making himself useful and lusting after Abbie, which, it would seem, is his downfall in this case. Luckily Katrina is able to track the creature, and Abbie and Ichabod stop it before Surfer Dude is killed. And yes, I am going to continue to call him Surfer Dude.

Katrina is having a hard time moving on from her ordeal. You know, being impregnated with Moloch and nearly having the demon fetus claw its way out of her. That’s not easy to bounce back from, and it’s not surprising that Katrina is having trouble sleeping. But it turns out she isn’t having nightmares; they’re visions. Once she is able to focus, she can see what Henry is up to: he’s standing menacingly over a crib in an otherwise empty room. Sinister.

Katrina still believes Henry can be saved, and Ichabod continues to side with her, while Abbie firmly believes Katrina is flat wrong. There’s tension because of it, from all sides, and while Katrina is certainly proving useful, she’s not adding to the team dynamic in the way I’d hoped.

Eventually, Abbie and Katrina get to the heart while Ichabod and Surfer Dude take care of the creature. Ichabod and Surfer Dude interact quite a bit in this episode, and it’s amusing at times, irritating at others. It’s clear to Ichabod right off the bat that Surfer Dude has fallen hard for our girl Abbie, and since Ichabod doesn’t exactly think highly of Surfer Dude, it’s a lot of pursed lips and scowls from him. He is trying to be accepting about it, to be fair, but he’s pretty awful at hiding how he really feels. He goes so far as to ask what Surfer Dude’s intentions are regarding Abbie, and it’s rather uncomfortable. Abbie doesn’t seem particularly interested in a romantic relationship anyway, with Surfer Dude or with anyone, so what’s the problem, Crane?

Katrina returns to Abraham and Henry, hoping to destroy them all from the inside. But when she sees inside the crib, it’s instantly clear she won’t be able to harm Moloch at all. I want to believe that it’s because she’s been on Henry’s side this whole time. That would be a great twist. Unfortunately, it seems that it’s her motherhood and maternal love that’s stopping her from stopping Moloch. I fiercely hope that they show this side of Katrina to throw us off, and that she’s been evil from the start- she’s been in purgatory for centuries, I mean, who could blame her for turning evil?- because as it stands the writers are portraying motherhood as a weakness, which I am super not a fan of.

Overall, this episode was mildly entertaining, but not their best. It was an episode almost entirely focused on romance and desire, which could have been done well, but put too much strain on the team dynamic for this episode to be engaging. On top of that, no Frank and no Jenny this episode, which is truly unacceptable.

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Score: 3 / 5

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Watch Sleepy Hollow on Fox, Mondays 9/8c.

Review: Sleepy Hollow 2.07- "Deliverance"

This week’s Sleepy Hollow was centered around Katrina. Finally, we get to see more of the enchantress; if only it were under better circumstances. Katrina suspects she’s been supernaturally poisoned, but she’s not that lucky. She’s actually been supernaturally impregnated, and the demon she’s carrying is Moloch himself. Yikes doesn’t begin to cover it. The good news is that Katrina has escaped both Abraham and Henry, and Henry is forced to spend the episode hunting her down. As the episode progresses, so does her pregnancy, and it does so rapidly. A supernatural demon pregnancy such as this one lasts less than a day, so it’s truly a race against the clock for Abbie and Ichabod.

Luckily, Abbie’s a badass, and she’s level-headed as hell, so we’re in good hands. She manages to track down Henry’s men, and with a little research, she and Ichabod discover a way to stop the pregnancy and return the Moloch fetus to purgatory. Just in the nick of time, too- the demon hands are literally pushing out of Katrina’s stomach, just about to claw through her skin, when Ichabod uses the power of aurora borealis to save the day.

Katrina has been largely underutilized up until now, and before this episode I didn’t have much of an opinion on her. She was mostly in the background, useful sometimes and other times just sort of present. But the trio worked well together, and I hope they continue to use Katrina; I imagine she’ll come in handy, with the magic powers and all.

Katrina still believes Henry can be saved, and after some pressing, Ichabod admits he does too. Abbie’s completely convinced otherwise, and I’m with her. Henry is Moloch’s man now, and even if he ever feels remorse or second-guesses his actions, there is no turning back for him. I can only see this ending one way for Henry, and it’s not exactly a happy family reunion.

The pregnancy plan was unsuccessful, but Henry’s already on to his next plan. Where are we now, Plan E? F? It seems Moloch gave Henry a long list of options, which is good, because Abbie and Ichabod have an archive full of ways to counter these plans. It’s pretty convenient that basically all of the evil plots have a counter somehow created by Ben Franklin or Washington himself or any of Ichabod’s other Revolutionary War buddies.

No Jenny this week, no Surfer Dude either, and only a glimpse of Frank Irving. But the team seems to be going strong, and now that Katrina is out, it can only be stronger.

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Score: 4/5

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Director: Nick Copus

Watch Sleepy Hollow on Fox, Mondays 9/8c.

Review: Arrow 3.05 - "The Secret Origin of Felicity Smoak"

This week on Arrow, we delve into Felicity’s past. Mama Smoak comes to town, and the villain of the week is using a virus- written by Felicity back in her college days- to take over Starling City. This episode was lighter on the action and heavier on the flashbacks, but I wouldn’t call it a filler. Felicity’s an important character, and if we’re doing flashbacks every week, it’s nice to change things around a bit. First of all, college Felicity was a goth, which is hilarious. She’s still herself, just dressed in way more black. Think Abby from NCIS. She writes a virus with her boyfriend and his roommate, and the boyfriend takes it a bit too far and ends up getting arrested. Felicity finds out he’s hanged himself before sentencing, so when Brother Eye uses the virus against Starling City, the only suspect is the roommate. Roommate insists he’s innocent, and it turns out to be true, so it’s back to the drawing board- that is, until Felicity and her mother are kidnapped, and College Boyfriend reveals himself. Turns out he’s been alive all these years, working for the NSA. And now he’s using his NSA know-how and Felicity’s virus for the greater good: himself.

Ollie, Roy, and Diggs all rush to stop Brother Eye, and Felicity gets the jump on College Boyfriend and knocks him out before he can do any damage. Everyone’s fine, including Mama Smoak. She and Felicity have a couple heart-to-hearts, and begin to repair their relationship.

Thea is living on Malcolm’s money, which can’t be good news; Laurel is still angry and still keeping secrets, but still sober; and Roy’s still not sleeping well. The episode ends with Roy tossing and turning in his bed, plagued by nightmares- or rather, memories. Something’s going on with him, maybe a lasting effect from the mirakuru? I’m definitely looking forward to seeing where this one goes.

This was a great character episode. It advanced the overall plot only minimally, and the threat of the week was rather flimsy, but it was interesting to see a different part of Felicity and to glimpse her family. I’m still not too keen on her boss- showing up at an employee’s house first thing in the morning is inappropriate at best, though the word I’d use is creepy. Ollie and Thea’s relationship is fragile, but the treatment of his relationship with his sister and with Felicity in this episode did feel like solid character development. Between them and Diggle’s new family, Oliver isn’t the brooding loner he once was, and that’s really great. The next step is probably for him to get Roy to open up a bit more, but with this episode’s ending, that seems to be where we’re headed.

Again, this episode was light on the action, but it was necessary. It can be skipped if needed, but it was entertaining with just the right amount of drama. If anything, watch this episode to see Felicity wearing black lipstick. Or just skip to the end and join me in asking: what the hell, Roy? I’m ready for next week.

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Score: 3/5

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Director: Michael Schultz

Watch Arrow on the CW, Wednesdays 8/7c.

Review: Arrow 3.03 - " Corto Maltese"

Oliver goes to find Thea and bring her back- finally!- and Diggle and Roy join the adventure. Diggle’s there not just as a supportive friend, but on a mission on Lyla’s behalf. It doesn’t really go according to plan, culminating in a big, dramatic shoot-out. Our boys are fine, obviously, but they’re attacked from both sides, and Ollie even uses a gun. We also glimpse Thea’s training with Malcolm, and can you say psychopath? His idea of training is literally beating his daughter until she decides to fight back. Effective, apparently. since at the end of the episode someone accidentally spills hot coffee on her, and she doesn’t even flinch. MIA’s “Bad Girls” should play in the background every time Thea walks into a room.

Despite the harsh training and now being able to claim Malcolm as her father, Thea still seems like Thea. Laurel, on the other hand, seems ready to take Sara’s place as the Canary. I’m still pretty mad that Sara is dead- by pretty mad I mean super mad- but I’m so excited to see Laurel become the Canary! She’s doing it on her own, too, and despite Ollie’s wishes, which I absolutely love. There’s room for more than one vigilante in this town, Ollie, and it’s unfair to leave Laurel untrained. If she’s going to be working with the Arrow, she needs to at least be able to defend herself, right? But Ollie’s still hurting from Sara’s death himself, and unlike Laurel, he doesn’t have a support group to talk to. I mean, he’s got Diggle, Felicity, Roy… but sharing his feelings with them seems out of the question. Classic brooding, angsty hero trope. Let’s move past it.

Thea back in Starling City can only mean good plot points from here on out, and Laurel as the Canary is pretty awesome. It was nice seeing flashbacks from Thea for a change. Roy was lacking in this episode, but with Thea back in the picture I expect his character will be utilized and developed a bit more. This is an episode you can skip if you have to, but watch it if you have time. The plot advances, a few characters develop, and there’s enough action to keep us entertained.

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Score: 3/5

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Director: Stephen Surjik

Watch Arrow on the CW, Wednesdays 8/7c.

Review: The Flash 1.03 - Things You Can't Outrun

The villain of the week is a man who can turn himself into a poisonous gas, which is probably the dumbest power ever. He was sentenced to death and in the process of being executed when the whole particle accelerator thing happened, hence his not being dead and his newfound powers. Now he’s after those who were involved in his sentencing, and he’s picking them off one by one until the only person left is Detective West. I keep hoping The Flash will get more exciting, but so far it’s just a string of cliches and tropes tied together with average acting and sub-par writing. There’s a lot of potential here, but so far we haven’t seen anything special. I know that the show is still getting its footing, and that it needs some time to build a foundation before it can really create something interesting, but I hope that this foundation-building ends soon. This show won’t hold my interest for much longer unless it moves past the Screenwriting 101 storylines and toward something worth watching.

Next week will be a crossover episode, so at least there’s that to look forward to.

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Score: 2/5

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Director: Jesse Warn

Watch The Flash on the CW, Tuesdays 8/7c.

Review: Sleepy Hollow 2.05 - "The Weeping Lady"

This week we tackled the myth of the weeping lady. You’ve probably heard some variation of the story; in Sleepy Hollow, the weeping lady was once Ichabod Crane’s betrothed. We get some flashbacks that introduce the weeping lady before she was a creepy, glowing-eyed, murderous spirit. Her name is Mary, and her biggest fault is her volatile jealousy. She’s justified when she accuses Katrina of having stolen Ichabod’s heart, but when she confronts Katrina about it, she falls to her death, becomes a spirit, and proceeds to magically drown anyone she thinks might be stealing Ichabod from her in the afterlife. This includes Abbie, who luckily is saved by Ichabod and Surfer Dude. The spirit of the weeping lady was awoken by Henry, naturally, but it doesn’t really go according to plan, and Moloch isn’t exactly pleased. There’s a great moment at the end, after Moloch makes it clear exactly how he feels about Henry’s failed attempt, when Henry is left alone. He looks small and childlike in that moment, and serious props to John Noble for that scene.

Important things to note from this episode: Ichabod and Katrina are at odds after Katrina reveals the truth about Mary’s death, and it’s only made worse when she willingly goes off with Abraham. Surfer Dude is still in the picture and it looks like he’s not going anywhere any time soon. Eventually I’ll have to call him by his name. We also glimpse a potential love triangle between Surfer Dude, Abbie, and Jenny. I’m hoping it doesn’t actually happen; both Mills sisters can do way better than Surfer Dude.

This was a great episode that pushed the plot along, so I wouldn’t recommend skipping it.

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Score: 4/5

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Directior: Larry Teng

Watch Sleepy Hollow on Fox, Mondays 9/8c.

TV Review Round-Up: Sleepy Hollow, Flash and Arrow (Week of 10/13-10/17/14)

Too busy for TV? No such thing! But if you missed this week’s Sleepy Hollow, Flash, or Arrow, my recap will tell you what to skip, and what you need to see for yourself.

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Sleepy Hollow 2.04 - "Go Where I Send Thee"

This week, Sleepy Hollow took on the legend of the Pied Piper. The legend is that the Piper lures children away from their families with the music of his flute, and the children are never seen again, and in this episode the story is mostly the same. The Piper is the root of one particular family’s curse; with each generation, one child is lured away by the music on their tenth birthday. If the Piper does not get the one child, then all the children in the family die of fever.

The mother of the family- whose older sister was taken when they were children- knows Abbie from the Mills sisters’ foster care days, and Abbie feels a heavier sense of responsibility in finding the lost child. Abbie and Ichabod once again team up with Surfer Dude, though Ichabod isn’t too pleased with the idea. He claims not to trust the guy, but I think he just doesn’t like to share. Ichabod professes his love for Abbie at least once per episode, and he did not disappoint in this episode. The flirting is getting out of hand, and Katrina wasn’t mentioned once this episode, so let’s get going with this relationship, shall we?

Surfer Dude turns out to be working indirectly for Henry, and since Frank accidentally sold his soul, the Horseman of War is closing in on Abbie and Ichabod. As long as he doesn’t get Jenny, they still have a chance. Two Mills sisters on the same team equals bad news for the enemy, so look out Moloch.

Highlight of the episode may have been Ichabod’s stunt driving. I love seeing him confounded by the mysteries of the 21st century, but his mastery of reckless driving was even better.

Score: 5/5

Director: Douglas Aarniokoski.

Watch Sleepy Hollow on Fox, Mondays 9/8c.

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The Flash 1.02 - "Fastest Man Alive"

This week’s Flash episode opens with Barry putting his new powers to use: his first on-screen act of heroism is to save a child- and a couple others- from a burning building. Inspirational, but not particularly original, though I guess we all have to start somewhere. Barry’s powers are draining him, and with each use he needs a minute to recover. Later, Barry and Iris are at an event that is overtaken and robbed by several masked men- who turn out to be just one man, a metahuman who can clone himself- and Barry uses his powers to save a security guard from being shot. It’s a heroic moment, until he faints from the exertion.

After some testing, they figure out that the problem is Barry’s metabolism; he’s no longer eating enough to keep up with his body’s needs. I’m looking forward to watching skinny Grant Gustin eating comical amounts of food for the sake of Barry Allen’s metabolism.

We see some flashbacks that show more of Barry’s relationship with Joe West, and Iris still doesn’t know about Barry’s new powers because Reasons. Iris is keeping tabs on the mysterious Red Streak being spotted all over the city, in the hopes of being the one to break the story. It’ll cause some problems for Barry, and I can’t wait to see him squirm.

Overall, The Flash isn’t particularly exciting or original, but I think it has the potential to get better, and it’s got a solid cast. Grant Gustin is charming as Barry, but we haven’t really seen much range of emotion yet, and I’d like to see both him and the writers push the character a bit more. I’ll definitely keep watching because, like I said, I do think this show has potential, and it’s mildly entertaining. But if you’ve got too much to do this week, you can skip this episode. I won’t tell anyone.

Score: 3/5

Director: David Nutter.

Watch The Flash on the CW, Tuesdays 8/7c.

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Arrow 3.02 - "Sara"

Arrow opens where last week left off: Sara Lance is dead. For real this time. I’m still annoyed that the writers thought killing a super-lady was a good plot point, but we’ll move on.

Oliver kicks off right away, trying to track down Sara’s killer. Laurel, angry but sober, tries to track the killer in her own way, using her connections with the D.A. and Detective Dad to get her places she probably shouldn’t be. There’s another archer in town, and Felicity manages to track his cell pretty easily, which leads to the most ridiculous fight Oliver Queen has ever been involved in. He and the mystery archer villain battle it out on motorcycles, and while I’m sure whoever planned this thought it would be awesome, it looks absolutely ridiculous. Pick a better venue next time, Ollie.

By the end of the episode, Detective Lance still doesn’t know that his daughter is dead, again for Reasons. I’m a little sick of these Reasons, but I guess it’s an easy conflict to write in.

We also saw more flashbacks of Oliver in Hong Kong; he is put to the test and told to assassinate a familiar face, but he manages to get out of it while keeping everyone safe. Roy and Felicity have a few nice moments in this episode, and I’d love to see their friendship develop. We also get a glimpse of the new Thea, and I gotta say, I’m very excited to see what happens when she inevitably returns, with Malcolm in tow.

If you’ve been keeping up with previous seasons of Arrow but aren’t sure whether to continue, I say hell yeah. Despite the unnecessary death, there’s good character development so far, and the storylines are solid.

Score: 4/5

Director: Wendey Stanzler.

Watch Arrow on the CW, Wednesdays 8/7c.

TV Review Round-Up: Sleepy Hollow, Flash and Arrow (Week of 10/6-10/10/14)

If you missed last week’s episodes of Sleepy Hollow, The Flash, or Arrow, my TV recap will fill you in on what you missed, and tell you what to skip and what you need to see for yourself.

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Sleepy Hollow 2.03

Sleepy Hollow’s season two has been off to a good start, and episode three, which aired last Monday, introduced a new supernatural threat: coins. That’s right. Henry Parrish- also known as Ichabod’s son, also known as War, one of the Horsemen of the Apocalypse- is causing chaos with a coin that possesses the holder.

Abbie and Ichabod team up with a supernatural expert, because obviously Sleepy Hollow has a supernatural expert, though he looks more like a surfer dude than a Winchester. He was useful though, and I wouldn’t mind seeing them team up again.

Katrina remains a captive of Abraham, as per her suggestion, and so far it hasn’t really served much purpose. She overhears Abraham and Henry discussing their plans just a little too openly and loudly, and I can’t be the only one who suspects that Henry will use Katrina as some sort of trap for Ichabod and Abbie. Katrina’s just a bit too obvious about her eavesdropping, and Henry’s the Horseman of War, so I tend to think he has the upper hand here. Maybe this captive situation will prove useful, but right now it just seems like an easy trap.

Score: 4/5

Director: Jeffrey G. Hunt Writers:Melissa Blake & Donald Todd.

Watch Sleepy Hollow on Fox, Mondays at 9/8c.

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The pilot episode of The Flash aired last Tuesday, and if you missed it, that’s really okay.

The pilot episode focused on the origin of Barry Allen’s super-speed powers, and skimmed the trauma of his childhood, complete with a side of dead mom trope. It didn’t really push any boundaries or try anything out of the ordinary, which is fine, as the episode was really meant for viewers with little to no knowledge of the Flash.

Grant Gustin plays the reluctant hero type somewhat convincingly, though he’s much better at the loveable, goofy genius trope. As Barry Allen, he’ll have to balance the two, and so far he’s much more goof than hero, though it’s understandable as he’s only just gained powers and is still learning what to do with them. So far he’s been put to the test, acquired a fancy supersuit, and got the genius, innovative support team that superheroes tend to require.

The pilot packed a lot of information and action into one 45-minute segment, and ended up glossing over quite a bit, namely the particle accelerator, Barry’s family, and the nine months he spent in a coma. You miss a lot in nine months, but Barry wasn’t fazed. He didn’t even acknowledge it, actually; I know if I was out for nine months, I’d want to know all the movies and music I missed. But I guess he had a more pressing issue to deal with. Still, coma aside, I hope that as the season progresses, the writers are able to flesh out these details and give us more. Hopefully once they find their footing, they’ll be able to balance the action with the information, rather than throwing everything at the viewer at once.

Score: 3/5

Director: David Nutter.

Watch The Flash on the CW, Tuesdays 8/7c.

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Season three of Arrow premiered last Wednesday, and it was action right from the start, with the whole team involved. A couple things have changed: John is about to become a father, and Oliver is significantly less broody. But some things haven’t changed so much: Felicity remains an adorable badass, and Roy still has anger issues. Thea’s gone, Sara’s gone, Laurel’s on top of her game, and Detective Lance is now Captain Lance.

I enjoyed seeing the team dynamic, as I find it much more interesting than the lone vigilante type. Oliver and Felicity came close to being A Thing, and then once again, didn’t quite get there. Personally, I find the will-they-won’t-they storyline a bit tired; they’re cute together, and I’m bored of watching them dance around each other. Do it or don’t, and let’s move on.

This episode also saw a brief cameo from Barry Allen, which has me hoping for some crossovers between this show and The Flash. And of course, Team Arrow wouldn’t be complete without an appearance from Sara. I was hoping she’d be back for good, but with the way this episode ended- well, I’m not pleased.

Overall, this isn’t an episode to skip. Despite the ending, it had good action, good team dynamics, and featured more flashbacks and more answers as to what Oliver did for those mysterious five years. It was a solid start, and I’m looking forward to what this season has to offer.

Score: 4/5

Director: Greg Winter

Watch Arrow on the CW, Wednesdays 8/7c.